Breaking the Distance, Fighting These Wars
by somethinglikethisbutnotthis
Summary: Rose & her father move to their vacation home in Wisconsin on Lake Wissota after Rose's father divorces her mother. What happens when Jack and Rose spend a summer together at their vacation homes & then have to fight the distance when Jack goes home? What other problems will they have to fight? Present time story. Mature subjects throughout story. Fluff too ;)
1. PROLOGUE

**Hello, few things I want to say quickly before you start reading! This chapter is super short and straight to the point. I really use needed to get the ball rolling, so that's why it's so short. I promise future chapters will be longer. Second thing, this is my first fanfic! I have been thinking about it for months, but life's crazy and things kept prolonging it, so I thought what a better day to wait and post than this month..106 years since Titanic set sail! Crazy that it's been so long ! Disclaimer: I do not own Titanic or any of the characters mentioned from the movie !** **Anyways, I adore the movie and Jack and Rose as characters, so I'm excited to finally be writing this story. Okay, I think that's it. Sorry for rambling on. Enjoy! (Hopefully)**

PROLOGUE

 _April, 2018_

Rose and Cal were sitting in her room upstairs talking. Rose was having a terrible time with him. It seemed the last few months it had been this way, but continued to put up with him for the sake of trying to please her mother. Something that seemed impossible to do, no matter how hard Rose tried.

At first, dating him hadn't been bad. He was charming. Rose figured she would grow to love him eventually. She did, in a way, but things changed and any love she had for him was lost. She was only still with him to appease her mother and because she was trying to convince herself she could still love him even after the way he had been treating her lately. Things were changing between them though and she couldn't deny it. In the beginning of their relationship, things were off to a good start. Cal was charming and even a gentlemen. He treated her the way she was supposed to be treated. He was also rich and well known in their social circles. Something Rose could care less about.

After several months together, something shifted in their relationship. The fights were constant. Always bickering over the littlest things. Sometimes even turning violent on Cal's end. Cal had become a control freak. Everything Rose said and did was wrong. Rose had a feeling it was because she had started to think about college and upon mentioning her choices to Cal, he became pissed off because they weren't near him. It was what started the problems between them and it has only gotten worse since. So now, 8 months into their relationship, just the very presence of him seemed to sicken her.

Rose was sitting on her bed scrolling thorough some articles on her computer when Cal joined her, looking over her shoulder.

"Rose, can't you look at that stuff after I leave? I would like to spend some time with you before I have to go home for dinner." Rose refused the urge to roll her eyes. "Sure, Cal. What is it that you want to do?" "This" he said claiming her lips in a hungry kiss. Rose hated when he did this. She didn't like hanging out with him anymore, much less kissing him.

Although they had done other things together physically, it was less of an occurrence during the last few months because of how much they had grown apart and because of how much had changed between them. Rose always put a stop to the kissing before it could ever escalate any further and when they would do other things, she would put a stop to that too she she felt it was going too far.

Cal knew this. He wished she would just give it up already. So, he tried for what seemed like the millionth time to get her to do something with him. Even though she had some physical experience with Cal she had never gone all the way with him yet. Cal had been more than eager lately. He would tell her things like, "Come on, Rose. We've been together several months already." But to Rose, it was more than just about the time they had been together. She needed them to be in the same place in their relationship. And her heart was not there with Cal. It was too much, too fast, and for all the wrong reasons. Rose believed that sex was to be shared with someone you love, not someone like _this_.

Dating him to appease her mother was one thing, but giving her virginity to him when her feelings were no longer there was another. She wasn't about to do it.

Cal began to rub his hand up her thigh. Cal wasn't usually one to push, but today he didn't stop. He kept pushing up her thigh until he was almost at the very top. Rose had clamped her legs shut, preventing him from going any further, and pulled away from the kiss. She shivered with fear when she saw the lust in his eyes.

Cal began to fight to try to get through her clamped thighs. Clawing his way through leaving dark red scratches as he went.

"What the hell are you doing, Cal?" Rose hissed at him.

"What do you mean what am I doing? You know you want this. Stop fooling yourself and just give it up already." Cal said as he went back to kissing her and rubbing her thigh.

Rose pulled away again and tried to slap his hand away from her thigh. Cal continued to push her. Trying to get her to give in.

Cal was lowering himself on to Rose as Rose was fighting to get away from him. He kept her pinned there as he began to lower his pelvis so that it was resting on top of her. Rose saw the lust that was in his eyes earlier quickly turn to anger because of her resistance.

"Cal, STOP."

The room spun and Rose began to panic. Cal usually stopped when asked, no matter how eager he was to get inside he pants, but everything was escalating so quickly.

Cal didn't stop. He began to kiss Rose's neck as she squirmed under him in an attempt to get him off of her. It was no luck. Cal was too heavy and strong. She couldn't get away. She began to panic even further.

Just then Rose heard the front door click shut. Cal was still laying on top her moving his kisses lower until he was the the top of her breasts. He began to spread his legs apart in order to remove his jeans. Rose saw her chance, she kneed him where he was most vulnerable.

"STOP."

"You bitch!" Cal had rolled off of her and was whimpering and cursing under his breathe in pain while clutching himself. Rose got up off the bed and heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She looked over to her door just as her dad swung it open, his eyes burning with anger even further.

"What the hell is going on up here?" He said.

Rose's eyes were clouded with tears and she tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Her dad already had a good idea what was going on up here.

William walked over to the bed and grabbed Cal by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"Get the hell out of my house. I don't want to see you back here ever again, and I want you to leave my daughter alone. Understand?"

"She wanted me. She teased me. She's trying to make me look like the bad guy here only because she heard you come home. The little slut wanted it."

Rose stood on the other side of the room, shaking wth fear, watching the arguing take place in front of her. Cal never spoke to his elders like that. She figured he was doing it now because of how pissed off he was and because no one would even believe it if she was to bring it up to anybody. No, Mr. Perfect Caledon Hockley would never do such a thing. If only they knew the half of it.

"I won't say it again. Get the hell out of my house and stay away from my daughter." William said, loosing his patience.

Cal looked over at Rose who was standing there with anger and fear in her eyes.

William grabbed Cal by the elbow and lead him down to the front door where he opened it and shoved him out.

"Remember what I said, Hockley. There will be hell to pay if you don't."

—

William shut the door and turned around to find Rose standing at the top of the stairs, hugging herself with tears streaming down her face

William Rushed up the stairs and embraced Rose in his arms.

"I am so sorry sweetheart. Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I'm so sorry."

Rose was now sobbing. They stood there like that for a long time. William was just letting her get it all out.

William was at his breaking point. He knew Rose was only dating that boy in an attempt to please her mother and get on her good side. Now, he knew what he had to do. Ruth and William had been in a rough patch for the longest time. He knew it was something they would never get out of. There's was no use in keeping going anymore when everyone was this unhappy. This was his final straw in the unhappy marriage with his wife.

So, the next morning William filed for divorce from Ruth after a long night of yelling and fighting.

William payed for Ruth to stay at a fancy hotel that would fit her needs until him and Rose were out of the house.

Since William was practically his own boss at work, he could afford to take the time off and even do most of his work from home and with it being the end of the school year, he knew this would be the perfect opportunity to take Rose to the family's summer home in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. A vacation for them both of them was much needed and long overdue.

Him and Rose had a long talk that night, where he told her about the past problems with his side of the family. The sister he kept in touch with briefly, but so badly wanted to reconnect with. The son his sister had, that was Rose's age and was her cousin that would make a great friend for her.

So, that's exactly what Rose and William decided to do. William made the arrangements and Rose started to get ready for the summer away from home.

William had promised Rose she would be back in L.A. by the end of the year to continue school and start a new life. He was going to give her and himself all the time they needed away from this place. He just knew some time away from here would do both of them a lot of good.

The next month consisted of Rose finishing up her Junior year of classes, avoiding Cal at school, fighting with her mother about leaving with her father, but most of all it consisted of healing. Healing from the incident with Cal. Healing from the way her mother treated her. Healing from not being treated correctly by her father. Rose knew she was ready to get away as well. She couldn't wait to get away and heal further before returning back to L.A. It was going to take some time, but she knew she would heal herself and be ready to return when the time is right.

William couldn't wait for this either. He was excited to reconnect with his daughter and patch up their relationship. He was ready to be the father he should have been all those years. More than anything though, he was ready to get away from the life he had wanted to escape for far too long. He was ready to get back to his family that he should have never lost touch with.

 **A/N: HI READERS! Just wanted to say, I know Rose and William kind of got rid of Ruth and Cal from their lives pretty easily, and as of now, I don't really plan to make them too much of a problem later in the story. Although, they may pop up here and there and I will maybe have flashback moments if needed throughout the story, but just wanted to let you guys know. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)**


	2. CHAPTER 1

_**A/N: Hello, everyone! First off, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this, review, follow, and DM me! You guys are amazing already and we're only one chapter in. Also, I wanted to apologize for the delay in updating. My grandmother went home on hospice care, so I was spending as much time with her as possible, and then she passed away so I was dealing with that. Then I was sick for a week, but I'm back and better now! So expect less time to be in between updates from now on! Thanks for sticking with me and being patient!**_

CHAPTER 1: New Beginnings Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations

 _A month later…_

The day had finally come for Rose and her father to make their move to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Since the day her father had come home to find Cal trying to rape her, Rose had spent all of her time finishing up her school year, and then going straight home to pack in order to be ready for the move and to avoid her friends. She was in no mood to be around people who didn't care, but would ask about what happened and why she was leaving just to have something to gossip about in their circle. William had spent the last month wrapping up things with work so he could work from across the country.

Rose Dewitt Bukater stood in the doorway of her room that had been hers for the last seventeen years. A lot of memories were made here and although she was a little sad to be leaving it behind, she couldn't help but a part of her feel relieved. Since she had woken up that morning, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She knew that leaving this house and life behind for now would help her to start over and try to forget everything that has happened in the last year even if she is still struggling the emotional strain of it all.

She glanced around the room to make sure she had everything she needed. "That's everything." She whispered to herself before sighing heavily and turning around, heading for the stairs.

When she got downstairs, she went in search of her dad to see if her was ready to go. She found him in his office grabbing a few last minute items he would need before leaving the house.

William looked up from his desk upon hearing Rose enter the room.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Rose asked.

"Just about, sweetheart. I have to ask one more time though, just to make sure. Are you sure about leaving? Your life is here. Your friends are here. I want to make sure we're both on the same page about leaving here before we just jump into it." William asked again, for the hundredth time in the last month.

"I'm sure, daddy. Staying here will only hurt us more. This place is filled with nothing but bad memories and sadness. Since the moment we lost grandma, to everything with Cal and mother. I'm happy to be getting away. My friends could care less. There's a big difference in deciding to leave and knowing where to go, and we're making the right choice. It'll be good for both of us to get out of here for now."

Rose meant every word she said. She didn't blame her dad for anything that had gone wrong for them. She knew that she was miserable and could only imagine her dad felt the same. It had been a lot for both of them to go through in the last year. A country vacation would do both of them good.

"I'm glad to hear you say that because I couldn't agree more. Let me take one last look around here and then we're off."

William was the type of father that picked up the broken pieces that Rose's mother had left behind. He was a father that was working hard to do the best he could and fix his own mistakes as a father.

William and Rose took one last look around the house before saying their final goodbyes to the house, the staff, and the life they had here before walking out the door to head to the airport. They placed their house keys on the hooks near the door. Grabbed their last few items from the table, and headed out to the car waiting for them in the driveway.

….

They pulled up to the airport and got out. They retrieved their bags from the trunk, tipped the driver, and started walking towards the doors.

William had given Ruth the time that she could meet them at the airport in an attempt to give her one last chance say goodbye t them before they were out of each other's life.

The marriage between William and ruth had been a rough one, there was no denying that, but when William loved, he loved with all his heart and it was no different this time. He felt bad that his daughter was the same way because it set her up for more heartbreaks than he wanted her to ever have to go through.

He didn't know what would break his heart more; Ruth showing up, or letting them go without a final goodbye. Just then he heard someone shouting their names.

"Rose! William!" Ruth shouted, getting out go the car and running over to them.

He got his answer when his heart sank to his stomach.

"Hello, Ruth." William said.

"Mother, you came." Rose said, hardly believing what she was seeing.

'Of course I came. I wanted to say goodbye."

Ruth tried to connect with Rose all through her life. Rose had always been more like her father in her stubborn and rebellious ways, making it almost impossible for Ruth to do so. It was surprising that her marriage to William lasted as long as it did.

Even though Rose and her mother had never bonded and connected the way they should have, they were still mother and daughter and it hurt Rose to be going through this. So, the least Rose could do was give her mother parting hug. So, she did. Rose always hoped that one day her mother would see her mistakes she was making with her family, but for now she was happy to have her out of her life.

"Goodbye, mother.' Was all rose said before stepping away and heading towards the door with her suitcase rolling behind her, leaving her father and mother with some privacy to say their goodbyes.

"This is it, Ruth."

"I suppose it is. Are you sure we can't try one last time?"

"No, Ruth. You know we're making the right decision doing this. At least I feel that way. I'm leaving you and this place because staying means hurting myself and hurting Rose in the process. At the end of the day, I belong to myself and Rose more than anyone. I have to do what's best for us and staying here in this unhappy marriage isn't what's best for us anymore. You picked your career over us. You picked your high society life with all your functions and doings over us, on top of all the other things that went wrong in our marriage."

William didn't really like the high society, rich life, but he was well off and his father had made him be a part of it and when he married Ruth he couldn't get away from it. Luckily, he was working so much and on business trips so much that he was hardly ever home to attend her functions, so he put up with the life he was living, but after coming home to Rose that day, he knew something had to change. He knew he was making the right decision, no matter how bad it hurt him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, William." Ruth said as tears formed in her eyes.

"I know. I am too. Listen, I love you, but everything is wrong and I don't know how to fix us. I'll never know how to fix us. I have to go.' William said, giving her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing his suitcase and walking towards Rose, leaving Ruth standing there alone.

….

After getting through security and grabbing some snacks, they were sitting waiting for their time to board. Rose was sitting deep in thought staring out at the planes that were coming and going.

Rose was excited, or at least she was trying to be. A part of her still couldn't feel totally happy. The part of her that was always worrying when the next anxiety or panic attack would happen and how she was going to get herself to calm down this time. And the part of her that stayed up most night till the son rose fearing she would keep having the nightmares that had been haunting her for quite some time now, that were made worse by the incident with Cal. She was exhausted to say the least. Between pushing herself in school and dealing with her emotional problems, she felt more than drained. She hoped that putting distance between her and L.A., with Cal across the country being no more than a terrible memory, would help the way she was feeling. She hoped and prayed that this long trip would do her as much good as her father and her hoped it would because in the moment Rose felt completely alone, sad, and empty.

Rose was torn out of her thoughts when the announcement came over the intercom that it was time for their flight to board.

They got to their seats, got settled and waited for take off. It didn't take long for the plane to begin moving down the runway and take off into the air, leaving Rose to stare out the window and watch the city of L.A. vanish below her ready to start a new chapter in her life, healing the scars she had suffered the past year. Her father sat next to her feeling the same way.

The long flight went smoothly, and before they knew it they were getting in a car to head to the cabin. She watched the scenery of the small cozy town pass her by. It was all sunshine and fresh air. Rose looked at everything with wide eyes and felt like she was in another world. Entering the part of town with the cabins surrounding the Lake Wissota was like entering their own little world. She drank everything in and loved the look of it already.

Rose stepped out of the Uber and into the humid air of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She took in the sight of the cabin in front of her. It was big, but nothing like the house her and her father had just fled from. This house had been meant for William and his family at one point, but when things started falling apart a few years ago, he had let Christine move in after her husband had died and she brought her son back to America.

They grabbed their bags and made their way up to the front door.

"Ready?" William asked.

"As I'll ever be." Was Rose's nervous response.

Rose felt her heart hammer in her chest. She was going to be meeting her aunt and her cousin for the first time. William knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

It was a woman with dark brown hair and green eyes that answered the door. She was average height and skinny, but muscular. She was dressed in jeans and a black v-neck. She looked to be around her fathers age. Maybe a few years younger. She looked exactly as she did in the pictures Rose had seen of her from the pictures her father had shown her of when they were younger.

"Hi, Christine." William said, trying to hide the excitement in his voice upon being in his sisters presence again in case the excitement wasn't returned.

The excitement was returned by Christine pulling William into a tight hug.

"I missed you so much, big brother." She whispered into his ear, trying to hold back her tears of joy.

William and Christine had been best friends when they were kids. Inseparable. Until they weren't. They drifted apart because she moved to Ireland with her husband and adopted her son. She came back years later, and they kept in touch but haven't seen each other in years. William just hoped that their bond was still intact.

William released Christine and stepped aside.

"And this is my daughter rose, who you've heard all about."

"That I have. Hi, sweetheart."

Rose was shocked when Christine pulled her into a hug. She had been here all of five minutes and already she felt more at home and loved than she had ever felt in her old life.

"Well, let's not stand out on the porch all day. Come in, come in. My son, your nephew, your cousin, should be down here any minute."

They stepped inside and rose looked around. Everything was made of logs and it smelt of freshly cut wood. It was beautiful. This house was so different from hers back in L.A. It had a homey feeling to it. Although it was still on the fancier side, there were signs of life everywhere. Unlike her mothers house, that was all white and sterile, resembling a museum, not a thing out of place.

"Tommy! Your cousin and uncle are here! Come down!"

Rose watched as a boy about her age with curly brown hair and brown eyes came down the stairs.

"Tommy, this is your uncle William and his daughter Rose."

Tommy gave them a smile and shook Williams hand. "Nice to meet you."

"I guess that makes us cousins." Tommy said, pulling rose in for a hug. Rose noticed his thick Irish accent and how he had one, but Christine didn't. "Well, technically we're not really cousins because I'm adopted, but when it comes to family, it's more than just DNA, in my opinion anyways."

 _Ah, that explains it_ , she thought to herself.

Tommy's words hit Rose like a train. A big emotional train right in her heart. Already she felt more at home and loved here than she had in her whole life. She realized that she could have a better life here. She could find a best friend in Tommy. A real family from her Aunt and her father.

"I agree. I can use all the family I can get. Blood related or not." Rose said.

"Tommy, why don't you give Rose a tour and I'll show William where the office is. I assume you'll be doing work from here?" Christine said, already walking away towards the office with William in tow.

It did Rose's heart good seeing the siblings happy together again, picking up right where they left off as if there were no years lost.

Tommy began showing Rose around. There was a living room to the left of where they were standing. It had a decent sized sectional couch that was placed in front of a large flat screen T.V. that was mounted over the fireplace. To the left of the couch was a couple of chairs that looked out the front window.

Tommy began walking up the staircase placed right inside the front door that led upstairs to the balcony hallway that over looked the living room, and the kitchen, dining room, office, and another small sitting area, which were at the back of the house.

They got to the top of the stairs and went to the left where there was a game room, bathroom and a nice sized bedroom. Back across the hallway led to three bedrooms. At the end of the hallway slightly to the left, there was a master bathroom which contained it's own bathroom and sitting room and had a door that led to the balcony that wrapped around the house.

Down the hallway to the right there were two more bedrooms with a huge jack and Jill bathroom in between them.

The room on the right of the bathroom would be Rose's.

Tommy left her alone to look around her room and get settled.

Rose walked into the room and placed her bags on the bed which was in the middle of the room. She walked over to the door leading to the balcony and flung it open, enjoying the breeze that came with it.

Rose began unpacking her things and putting them into the closet and bathroom, making a mental not to go into town one day and buy some new things for herself. She finished what she was doing and made her way back downstairs in search of her father and aunt and to see the rest of the house.

She bound down the stairs and made her way through the kitchen to the office. It was a room with dark oak desks. The wall were lined with cabinets filled with files. It had a large window that looked out at Lake Wissota.

Rose stood in the doorway listening to the conversation going on between her father and aunt before knocking, not wanting to interrupt.

"William, I will be more than glad to add another desk and chair in here for you to work at."

"That'd be great."

Relief flooded through Rose hearing this. Her dad would still get to do what he loved while being away from L.A. where all his work was at. She had felt like a burden when they had first decided to come out here. Feeling like her dad was giving up everything just for them to get away, but now she felt better about the whole situation with her father's work.

Rose was torn from her thoughts when she hear Christine speak up and tell her to come in.

"Rose, I was thinking we could have lunch as a family today? Catch up and spend some time together once you guys get settled?" Christine asked with a smile.

"I would love that."

"That sounds like a great idea." William added.

"I'm going to go back upstairs and get settled and finished unpacking, but I just wanted to thank you again. Both of you."

And with that Rose was heading back upstairs to finish unpacking and relax a little before they would have lunch as a family.

Rose was back up in her room and sitting on the balcony, relaxing and thinking. She stared out at the lake. A uneasy feeling settling over her. Why, she didn't know. Her life was pretty good at the moment. She was putting everything behind her. She had a chance to start over here. She had all of that going for her, and yet something still felt terribly wrong. She tried so hard to be everything everyone else wanted, she forgot who she was. She was going to do her best to just get through it until the feeling hopefully passed and find herself again. She hoped the wide open spaces and fresh air of Chippewa Falls would help clear her head and provide some clarity.

 ** _A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed! I know this chapter was rather lengthy and a lot of Rose and her father getting settled, but it had to be done! And I needed a way to make Tommy be in the story, and I thought this was a good way to do it. Hope you guys don't mind that I made them cousins! Also, be ready because Jack finally comes into play next chapter. Thanks again!_**


	3. Life Update Story Information

GUYS! Hi! I just wanted to post something, because I obviously haven't in months. Life happened. I'm not making excuses, it's just the simple fact. I got busy with stuff for school, packing because I moved, and then I was studying for my classes 15-20 hours a week once school started. I also got a puppy, so that has taken up plenty of my time. This story HAS been on my mind everyday. I'm always brainstorming and thinking of ideas for it, and I'm happy to say it will be finished in due time. I plan to keep writing and tell this story. A handful of people have still viewed it in the months I haven't posted and for that I am grateful. So, now that school is done with for me for a while (don't know what my plans are as far as starting to just work or transferring schools, etc..) I have time to write again! This story will be back and it will (hopefully) be better than ever! I've decided to change some things and what not.

NOOOOWWWW, also, I want to write a Jack and Rose holiday themed short story. Maybe with a 3-5 chapters. Just a lil something something with drama, angst, and fluff. So, be on the lookout for that!

I appreciate you all if you give me the time of day and continue to read my current story, the new short one I am going to possibly do, and anything I do in the future.

MUCHHHHHH love xx


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